SHAH ALAM - A tragic incident occurred when a teenage passenger of an express bus died after being electrocuted while charging his mobile phone using a power in the bus, last week.
The 18-year-old identified as Mohamad Nur Asymawi Jasmadi boarded the bus for a journey to KL Sentral at the Penang Sentral bus terminal in Butterworth, Penang at about 6pm on Nov 1.
About ten minutes into the journey, the other passengers realised that something was wrong when Asymawi screamed and began foaming at the mouth.
The bus driver was immediately alerted about the incident and called the ambulance.
However, when the medical personnel arrived, the teenager was confirmed to have died at the scene before the body was sent to the Seberang Jaya Hospital for an autopsy.
Investigations found that there were burn marks on the victim's left fingers, suggesting that he had been electrocuted while he was charging his mobile phone using the bus' charging socket.
It was reported that the charging cable was melted and the victim's mobile phone appeared to be overheating at the time.
Police confirmed that there were no signs of foul play in the investigation.
In response to the tragic incident, the Transport Ministry suspended operations of the bus and set up a special task force to investigate the circumstances surrounding the electrocution.
Its minister Anthony Loke expressed the ministry's strong commitment to handling the case with urgency, emphasising the importance of a thorough investigation to prevent similar accidents and to safeguard passengers' safety.
The task force included representatives from the Road Transport Department, the Land Public Transport Agency and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research.